From Shackles to Sonship (Galatians 3:23-29)
The small hospital where RJ was born didn’t give dads bracelets to identify them. In fact, I’d never even heard of that back then.
And that hospital treated fathers extremely well. So, when Tammy asked the nurse to bring RJ from the nursery and the nurse was very slow in doing so, I walked down to the nursery to get my son. The nurse in the nursery was a tad reluctant to let me have the baby—after all, I could be some imposter going to kidnap him. Then, she looked at me, and she looked at RJ; she looked back at me, and said, “Go ahead. He’s obviously your child. He looks just like you.”
How many of your children have characteristics that you yourself have? Do any of you have a child who is a spitting image of you? How many of you have a child who may not look like you but acts just like you? Do any of you find yourselves acting more and more like your parents as you get older? How many of you have children who went into a career comparable to yours or a child who enjoys the same hobbies you do?
Paul, by God’s Spirit, declared that we are children of God. The emphasis in this text isn’t about acting like God—numerous other texts make that point. Paul here demonstrated that Jews were enslaved under the Old Testament, but faith in Jesus Christ removed those shackles and makes one a child of God. This morning, let’s learn: “Faith makes you a child of God.”
Scripture (Galatians 3:23-29)
verses 23-24:
Jews “were held captive under the law, imprisoned until the coming faith would be revealed.” The Old Testament law was a huge burden; just think about all the laws about what you could and could not eat and all the sacrifices you were to offer and the clothing you could and could not wear. When the Judaizers were trying to impose circumcision on Gentile believers, Peter said, “Why are you putting God to the test by placing a yoke on the neck of the disciples that neither our fathers nor we have been able to bear?” (Acts 15:10).
However, the law served an invaluable service, for it “was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” Guardians in the day of Paul were slaves who watched out for children on their way to and from school; they also helped the students with their schoolwork. The idea is that the Old Testament brings one to Christ and produces faith in Christ.
verses 25-26:
Now that faith in Christ is here, we no longer need a guardian, for we are sons of God through faith. When a boy reached 13 or 14, he was considered an adult and no longer needed a guardian. Likewise, faith in Christ makes one an adult, and he no longer needs a guardian.
Throughout the Old Testament, the Hebrews are described as God’s children. Now being a child of God no longer has to do with one’s ethnicity, but with his faith.
verse 27-28:
Anyone baptized into Christ has clothed himself with Christ. And in Christ there is “neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” Being clothed with Christ means that when I see you, I don’t see you as black or white or Asian or Hispanic; I don’t see you as a Mexican or a Canadian or a Russian; I don’t see you as a male or a female; I see you as a brother or sister on the way to heaven.
verse 29:
In Christ, one is Abraham’s spiritual offspring. One’s genetic descent from Abraham no longer matters before God or with each other. What matters is one’s faith in Christ.
Application
One’s faith in Christ matters, for “Faith makes you a child of God.” Because “faith makes you a child of God,” you must add some truths to your life. What are those truths?
One: Foundation
You must have a Foundation in the Old Testament: “So then, the law was our guardian until Christ came, in order that we might be justified by faith.” Thus, to understand and grow your faith in Jesus, you must have a Foundation in the Old Testament.
Jesus emphasized that the Old Testament is the Foundation of our faith. Jesus said to the Jews, “You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me” (Jn 5:39). As Jesus began his ministry, he entered the synagogue at Capernaum and read from Isaiah; after reading from the prophet, the Lord said, “Today this Scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing” (Lk 4:21). In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said, “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them” (Matt 5:17).
Thus, to understand your faith in Jesus, you must have a good Foundation in the Old Testament Scriptures. Spend time in the Old Testament and gain your good Foundation!
Two: Faith
You must have Faith: “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” Without faith, you cannot be God’s child.
Notice how Paul concluded this paragraph: “If you are Christ’s, then you are Abraham’s offspring, heirs according to promise.” It’s no accident that Paul spoke about Faith and then immediately spoke about Abraham. Abraham knew that he and Sarah could never conceive a child, but “No unbelief made him waver concerning the promise of God, but he grew strong in his faith as he gave glory to God, fully convinced that God was able to do what he had promised. That is why his faith was ‘counted to him as righteousness’” (Rom 4:20-22). Abraham’s Faith was a firm reliance on the word of the Almighty God.
Some will tell you that when you talk about being a child of God through faith you immediately need to talk about obedience. With all due respect to those good brethren, that’s a misunderstanding of faith. A proper, biblical faith is trust in God, and when you trust God, you do what he asks. Obedience is really part of biblical faith; it’s not separate.
I had some lab work done a couple weeks ago, and my doctor—whom I trust—called me and said, “Justin, you need to take these antibiotics.” Since I really trust this doctor, what do you think I did? I took those antibiotics for ten days. I took them because the doctor said to take them.
The same thing is true with God. When I trust God, I don’t think about whether or not I’ll do what he commands. My obedience is an outgrowth of my deep trust in God.
How is your Faith?
Three: Family
Since I’m a child of God, I gain a Family: “In Christ Jesus you are all sons of God, through faith.” God is my Father, and I’m his son. Jesus is my brother: “He is not ashamed to call them brothers” (Heb 2:11). Furthermore, Christians are brothers and sisters of one another: “You are not to be called rabbi, for you have one teacher, and you are all brothers” (Matt 23:8).
Paul demonstrated the truth of the Christian Family: “There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is no male and female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus” (Gal 3:28). You see, while our differences may add spice to the church, they do not hamper our common faith. It doesn’t matter your skin color or your background or your political ideology or what sports team you support—we’re Family.
And Family is a special place. Are you a part of that family?
This sermon was originally preached by Dr. Justin Imel, Sr., at Church of Christ Deer Park in Deer Park, Texas.